1) VRG SEEKING PART-TIME EDITOR/LAYOUT POSITION

The Vegetarian Resource Group is seeking a part-time staff member
knowledgeable in vegetarianism/veganism to coordinate, edit, design,
and lay out quarterly Vegetarian Journal, plus miscellaneous editing
and layout tasks. Must plan and complete projects on a strict
deadline, work as part of a team, and be knowledgeable in Quark and
Photoshop. Position is in Baltimore office. Five to ten hours per
week. Send cover letter, resume, salary requirements, and writing and
layout samples to vrg@vrg.org with the Subject header of "Editor Job";
The Vegetarian Resource Group, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203.

In February 2012, The VRG received a question through our website
about ingredients (also known as microfractions) in protein
supplements including protein bars, powders, and drinks. The
questioner wanted to know the source of several ingredients often
found in these products such as albumin; alpha-lactalbumin;
immunoglobulins; beta-lactoglobulin; lactoferrin; glycomacropeptides;
and lactoperoxidase.

The VRG researched many companies selling a wide variety of protein
supplements. We compiled the information in the following chart.
Please note that the most common commercial sources for use in food
products (specifically protein supplements) are listed in order of
predominance as researched by the writer in May 2012. We have made
generalizations that are well-supported by information collected from
many companies.

4) UPCOMING OUTREACH AT COMMUNITY EVENTS

Closed to cars and open to people, this unique street festival is
dedicated to natural, organic, and eco-friendly products, activities,
and happenings. Boulder Green Streets is a day-long block party
celebrating community. Featuring music and dance, a parade, outdoor
climbing wall and mobile skate park, kid's activities, art and
cultural presentations, talks, displays and more!

Excited to have an opportunity to reach out to the Colorado community,
VRG will host a table at this Boulder Green Streets with brochures,
handouts, and sample issues of Vegetarian Journal
[ http://www.vrg.org/journal ]. We will also have a special offer on
Vegetarian Journal subscriptions!

Donations from individuals like you help The VRG continue to sponsor outreach.
To donate, please go to: [ http://www.vrg.org/donate ]

5) HOW OFTEN DO AMERICANS EAT VEGETARIAN MEALS? AND HOW MANY ADULTS IN THE U.S. ARE VEGETARIAN?

How Often Do Americans Eat Vegetarian Meals? And How Many Adults in
the U.S. Are Vegetarian? The Vegetarian Resource Group asks in a 2012
National Harris Poll

By Charles Stahler

Food companies, marketers, researchers, students, and media for years
have been asking The Vegetarian Resource Group about the number of
vegetarians and vegans. To again help answer this question, VRG
commissioned Harris Interactive® to conduct a nationally
representative telephone poll of 2,030 adults aged 18 and over. We
asked:

6) HOW CAN YOU HELP SUPPORT HEALTHIER FUNDRAISING IN SCHOOLS?

By Rebecca Kaplan, VRG intern

The National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity's (NANA) webinar,
"School Fundraising Can Be Healthy and Profitable," discussed healthy
alternatives to selling junk food as a way to raise money for schools.
Selling unhealthy food on school property sends kids a mixed message
about what to eat - teachers tell them to choose the healthy option,
but how can they be expected to do that when the only choices are a
bag of chips, a hot dog, or a cookie?

9) CAN AN EXCHANGE STUDENT LIVE ON A VEGAN DIET IN COSTA RICA?

By Anna Austin, VRG Intern

For three weeks of the summer of 2010 I stayed in Heredia, Costa Rica.
Through a program called CPI (Centro Panamericano de Idiomas), I lived
with a family and attended classes at a school for five hours a day.
Before I started, I filled out a questionnaire with information about
medications, allergies, living habits, etc. to determine which family
to live with would be the best fit for me. There was also a section
about food allergies and restrictions which included the option to
select "vegetarian." I called the school ahead of time to check to see
if it was possible to put "vegan" on the sheet. I talked to the people
in charge of the school. They said there had been other vegans who had
come to the program before and that they would let the family know
about my diet. They assured me that it would be more than possible to
have them cook vegan meals for me. It seemed like it would all work
out perfectly.

The first day I arrived, the family I was going to be living with
presented me with lots of food as a way of welcoming me.
Unfortunately, none of the food I was offered was vegan. I felt rude
refusing their offers, but I was also nervous that the school had not
actually informed them of my dietary restrictions. My Spanish skills
at the time were not very strong and I had very little confidence in
my abilities, so it was a bit of a challenge to communicate with them.
Eventually, I was able to make clear that I did not eat anything that
came from animals. They asked me if I was a vegetarian. I told them I
was, but that I also did not eat dairy or eggs. They understood. They
thought it was weird, but they respected it....

10) BEYOND MEAT™: VEGGIE CHICKEN STRIPS

by Jeanne Yacoubou, MS
VRG Research Director

Beyond Meat™, from Savage River, Inc., a new meat analog company
founded by Ethan Brown and based in Cumberland, Maryland, began out of
concern for farm animals. Spending weekends as a child on his family's
farm, Ethan Brown grew increasingly concerned about the plight of
animals raised for food. He eventually became vegan. Unsatisfied with
meat analogs on the market, he decided to start a company that offered
something "more realistic, tastier and cheaper." He turned to Fu-Hung
Hsieh at the University of Missouri.

11) VRG's 30th Anniversary Celebration at Candle 79

By Rebecca Kaplan, VRG Intern

The Vegetarian Resource Group held a lunch at Candle 79 on Sunday, May
6, 2012 to celebrate VRG's 30th anniversary. About 30 members of The
Vegetarian Resource Group gathered to discuss VRG's initiatives, how
the organization has grown over the past 30 years, and enjoy the
all-vegan samplings at Candle.

With some squeezing VRG occupied almost all of the space on the second
floor.

Many guests at the lunch had been involved with VRG for a long time,
including Linda Long, the photographer for many of the magazine's
cover photos. She brought with her a bottle of champagne and two
candles which read "30", which was one option for the 30th anniversary
cover of Vegetarian Journal this summer.

At the lunch, Debra Wasserman gave a speech filling guests in on many
initiatives VRG has successfully completed recently, including
providing nursing homes with information on making vegetarian meals.
Simply Vegan, one of VRG's titles, is going into its fifth edition
soon, and has sold over 100,000 copies, a far cry from over twenty
years ago, when it was first published, and Wasserman said, "many
people didn't even know what the word 'vegan' meant."

The lunch was a great chance for VRG members in New York City to
connect. Thank you to Heather Gorn for organizing this event.

Saute all ingredients together over medium-high heat for 7 minutes.
Serve warm.

13) VEGGIE PRIDE PARADE, NEW YORK

By Rebecca Kaplan, VRG Intern

Vegetarians and vegans showed up in full force on Sunday May 27, 2012
for the fifth annual NYC Veggie Pride Parade
[ http://www.veggieprideparade.org/ ]. Hundreds of proud vegetarians
marched from Greenwich Village to Union Square park to show their
support for vegetarianism.

According to the parade's press release, the parade was a venue for
people who are vegetarians to come together with one united voice,
whatever their individual reasons are for choosing not to eat meat. To
whit, a variety of organizations were represented at the parade, from
a group of Seventh-day Adventists, who choose not to eat meat for
religious reasons, to Mercy for Animals, an animal-rights
organization. The Vegetarian Resource Group was there with plenty of
information about the vegan and vegetarian lifestyle for any passersby
who were curious, or vegetarians who wanted to learn more.

VRG volunteer Dorothy Kenney, who has been with the organization for
two years, came out to represent VRG and answer questions. For a man
who dabbled with a vegan diet but was unable to find food that would
fill him up, she recommended VRG's vegan food pyramid
[ http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/MyVeganPlate.pdf ]. Several grandparents
of vegan and vegetarian children were grateful to receive information
packets with guides for vegetarian children
[ http://www.vrg.org/nutrition/veganpregnancy.php ]. And for people
who had a limited understanding of vegetarian, such as one man who
asked, "Do vegetarians eat fish?" there was Vegetarianism in a
Nutshell [ http://www.vrg.org/nutshell/nutshell.htm ].

The event drew a great crowd, and vegetarians and non-vegetarians
alike lined up to sample the delicious free vegan fare that some
booths were giving away. All of these aspects, as well as the people
wearing bright Pea and Carrot costumes (give peas a chance!) drew
attention from the general New York crowd, which helped accomplish the
parade's goal: to "see vegans and vegetarians come out of the shadows
once and for all," Pamela Rice, the organizer of the parade, said in a
press release. To volunteer at VRG outreach booths, please contact
Mary at vrg@vrg.org.

14) VEGAN IN ARGENTINA

By Ann Austin, VRG Intern

During the summer of 2011 I was going to live in Ushuaia, Argentina,
the closest city to Antarctica for about 6 weeks. I would stay with a
host family of four and volunteer every day at a pre-school called
Dailan Kifki. Although Ushuaia was going to be my final destination,
there were no direct flights to the area from the United States. So I
first flew into Buenos Aires and stayed there for a couple days before
departing once more for my home-to-be.

15) PLANTING PRIDE: CHICAGO'S FIRST VEGGIE PRIDE PARADE

By Aileen McGraw, VRG Intern

Armed with my pleather jacket, broken camera and twin sister, Keara, I
register for Chicago's first Veggie Pride Parade just in time to
embark from Grant Park. Grabbing a nametag, I join the ranks of other
"Hello, my name is" vegans, vegetarians and supporters of plant-based
diets.

16) INDIA TO BE WORLD'S LARGEST BEEF EXPORTER IN 2012 DUE TO AN EXPANDING DAIRY HERD

A related article said India will be the world's largest exporter of
beef. The story stated, "India also prohibits killing of
milk-producing water buffalo, but male buffalo and female buffalo once
they stop producing milk can both be killed. And, based on the stats
from the USDA, they increasingly are, at least for export."

17) THE "VEGABETIC": SUCCESSFUL VEGANISM AS A TYPE 1 DIABETIC

by Aileen McGraw

For fifteen years, what I put in my body has been all-important.
Hyperawareness of my intake and output continues as a daily priority.
My choice to go vegan occurred just over two years ago in April of
2010, but my diagnosis with type 1 diabetes mellitus, commonly known
as juvenile diabetes, happened in August of 1997.

18) VRG OUTREACH TO LIVING CLASSROOMS FAMILIES

by Hillary Blunt, VRG Intern

Musical hits of today and yesterday, along with the several tables
aiming to give health education about a variety of subjects, ranging
from breast cancer to health insurance to vegetarian diets, filled the
gymnasium of Carmel Anthony Youth Development Center. I had the chance
to represent The Vegetarian Resource Group at the CARE Community
Health and Wellness Fair in Baltimore with VRG volunteer, Dorothy
Kenney.

We enjoyed handing out coloring books to shy children, who, adorned in
tutus and brightly colorful knee-socks, came out of their shells when
given the opportunity to perform a belly dancing routine they had
learned that morning. While talking to parents about vegetarianism
and incorporating vegetables into children's diets, we were pleased to
hear from a good number of people that they did, in fact, eat
vegetarian as much as they could.

One mother expressed to us that she has a lot of trouble getting her
daughter to eat any sort of fruits or vegetables. Without much of a
delay, Dorothy gave her a good potential solution: smoothies! In
prelude to her solution, Dorothy asked this question: "Does your
daughter like juice?" Because, perhaps, if the fruits and vegetables
are blended together in a yummy looking smoothie, they might be more
appealing to the woman's daughter.

We also handed out a large number of materials to a teacher with
Living Classrooms. He had been vegetarian for about ten years, and
had just made the transition to eating vegan three months ago. After
answering questions about vegetarianism for as long as he had been
working with Living Classrooms, the teacher took pamphlets and
handouts to distribute to his class and to use as tools for educating
about what being vegetarian means, and why some people choose to live
that lifestyle.

Living Classrooms, the group that threw this event, is a non-profit
educational organization based in Baltimore and D.C., whose mission is
to strengthen communities through giving children and young adults
hands on education and job training. They strive for, what they call,
"learning by doing," or learning by directly experiencing a subject
matter. To learn more about Living Classrooms, visit their website,
at [ http://www.livingclassrooms.org ]

The Vegetarian Resource Group recently had an outreach booth at the
annual meeting of the Sports Cardiovascular and Wellness Nutrition
(SCAN) dietetic practice of the American Dietetic Association/Academy
of Nutrition and Dietetics. Thank you for volunteering to Amanda
Gilley, Dorothy Kenney, Amanda Matte, and Jenny Saccenti, as well as
Debra Wasserman and Charles Stahler. We had a chance to share vegan
information with sports dietitians who see patients, as well as an
opportunity for several important conversations about vegetarian needs
with dietitians working for major companies that are developing
vegetarian and vegan products.

20) FOLIC ACID IN PREGNANCY

By Reed Mangels, PhD, RD

I've recently gotten some questions about the use of folic acid
supplements prior to and during pregnancy. Folic acid is one form of
folate, an essential vitamin. Folic acid is the form of folate that
is used in supplements and fortified foods because it is the form that
is most stable. It is added to enriched grain products including
breads, pasta, and breakfast cereals. There are several forms of
folate that are found naturally in foods; these are called "food
folates." Foods that are naturally high in folate include green leafy
vegetables, dried beans, and oranges.

22) MY TOP FIVE RESTAURANTS IN BROOKLYN WITH VEGAN FOOD BY REBECCA

Kaplan, VRG Intern

The VRG has a great directory and listing of vegan- and
vegetarian-friendly restaurants in New York:
[ http://www.vrg.org/restaurant/New_York.php ]. These restaurants are my
favorites for affordable, convenient, and tasty vegan dining:

23) HOW CAN YOU START A VEGAN CLUB IN HIGH SCHOOL?

By Anna Austin, VRG Intern

My freshman year I was the only vegan in the entire high school. There
were some vegetarians, but many of them did not know about veganism.
Even some of my friends didn't understand or respect my choices. I had
tried to make some small efforts to educate people and to even simply
explain myself to others, but most of the time I felt like there
wasn't much I could do to clarify or even defend my position to the
dozens of other students at my school who either knew nothing about
veganism, thought it was odd, or disagreed with it entirely. I felt
that, because I was so outnumbered, there was nothing I could do to
promote a change within my school environment. For a while things
seemed kind of hopeless. There was no way I alone could change the way
things were. For the majority of the school year I grew somewhat
comfortable being the only vegan in the school. I had never met any
other vegans my age and I had minimal support coming from others,
especially those within my age group.

24) VEGAN RESTAURANT FOR SALE IN CA

A very successful vegan restaurant is for sale in southern California.
This completely turnkey establishment has a fully-equipped kitchen and
a beautiful outdoor patio. $120,000 firm. Only serious buyers should
inquire. For more information, please contact Rick at
rgenstil@gmail.com.

ABOUT THE VEGETARIAN RESOURCE GROUP

Our health professionals, activists, and educators work with
businesses and individuals to bring about healthful changes in your
school, workplace, and community. Registered dietitians and physicians
aid in the development of nutrition-related publications and answer
member and media questions about vegetarian diets. The Vegetarian
Resource Group is a non-profit organization. Financial support comes
primarily from memberships, donations, bequests, and book sales. The
Vegetarian Journal, a print magazine, is a benefit of membership in
The VRG. (For more information, please see the Vegetarian Journal
online.)

If you would like to make a donation, become a member, volunteer, or
find out more about The VRG, contact us at:

The contents of this newsletter, and our other publications, including
Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical
advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health
professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information
from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a
statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes
can be made. Please use your own best judgment about whether a product
is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation
on your own.

ABOUT VRG-NEWS

VRG-NEWS is the e-mail newsletter of The Vegetarian Resource Group.
This is an announcement list so subscriber messages are not accepted
by the list. If you have a technical question about the list, please
contact us at vrg@vrg.org. If you have any suggestions, ideas, or
corrections to VRG-NEWS, please direct them to vrg@vrg.org. Thanks!

Contents of VRG-NEWS are copyright 2012 by The Vegetarian Resource
Group. The newsletter may be freely distributed in electronic or print
form provided its contents are not altered and credit is given to The
Vegetarian Resource Group, P.O. Box 1463, Baltimore, MD 21203.

The contents of this website and our other publications, including Vegetarian Journal, are not intended to provide personal medical advice. Medical advice should be obtained from a qualified health professional. We often depend on product and ingredient information from company statements. It is impossible to be 100% sure about a statement, info can change, people have different views, and mistakes can be made. Please use your best judgement about whether a product is suitable for you. To be sure, do further research or confirmation on your own.

Any page on this site may be reproduced for non-commercial use if left intact with credit given to The Vegetarian Resource Group and each page linked to www.vrg.org